The Micklehurst Loop – Part 1

I am indebted to Alan Young for a number of the images in this and the following articles about the Micklehurst Loop. This is his drawing of the Loop which appears at the head of his article about the Loop on the ‘Disused Stations‘ website. It is used with his kind permission, (c) Alan Young. [7]

During January 2021, my wife and I walked the majority of the length of the Micklehurst Loop from Stalybridge to Diggle. This was the goods relieving line for the main Stalybridge to Huddersfield railway line. It had been hoped to alleviate congestion by making the mainline into a 4-track railway but the geography mitigated against this and a route on the other side of the Tame Valley was chosen instead.

The maps used in this sequence of articles are predominantly 25″ OS Maps from 1896 through to 1922 and have been sourced from the National Library of Scotland. [1] There are a number of websites which focus on the Loop which are excellent. The sites concerned are noted immediately below and the relevant link can be found in the references section of this article:

1. The most detailed treatment of the line and its stations can be found on the Disused Stations – Site Records website. The particular pages on that site which cover the Loop were provided by Alan Young. One page covers the route and pages covering each of the stations can be accessed from that page. [7] 2. Particularly good for old photos of the Loop is the Table 38 webpage about the railway. [12] 3. 28DL Urban Exploration has pages about Stalybridge New Tunnel under Cocker Hill [19] and about Hartshead Power Station. [20]

Part 1 – Stalybridge to Staley & Millbrook Station and Goods Yard

The first map extract (at the top of the next page) shows the Western end of the Micklehurst Loop. It left the mainline at Stalybridge Station which can be seen on the left side of the extract. Both the mainline and the loop entered tunnels under Stamford Street, Stalybridge. [1]

This modern satellite image covers approximately the same area of Stalybridge as the map extract above. The route of the former Micklehurst Loop is highlighted by the red line (Google Maps).

Looking west towards Stalybridge Station circa 1960 from Stamford Street BR standard Class 5 No.73162 takes the Micklehurst Loop as it pulls away from Stalybridge Station with a Huddersfield-bound freight and approaches Stalybridge New Tunnel. Photo by Peter Sunderland courtesy of Alan Young. [7]

The Western portal of Stalybridge New Tunnel sits just to the East of the Bridge that carries Stamford Street over the route of the Loop. It is difficult to photograph and access is not easy. While searching for images of the line I came across a video on YouTube which video shows the Western end of the tunnel and then covers a walk through the full length of the tunnel and a glance out of the Eastern Portal. [8] The next map extract shows the Micklehurst Loop emerging from the tunnel under Cocker Hill. [1]

The main line is in tunnel further North. Just South of the tunnel mouth Old St. George’s Church can be picked out, an octagonal church building which has now been replaced by St. George’s Church which is off the map extract to the North. Immediately to the East of the tunnel entrance, the Loop crossed the course of the River Tame and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal on a Viaduct.

Much has changed in the satellite image above which covers approximately the same area. The canal basin can just be picked out, as can Knowl Street. The course of the River Tame is unchanged. Old St. George’s is long-gone. There is no evidence left of the Viaduct which carried the line.

Old St. George’s Church was located almost directly over the tunnel. It was an unusual church building and over its life was rebuilt twice on essentially the same plan. “The first was built in 1776. It was the first recorded church in Stalybridge and it did fall down shortly after it was built. The next church was demolished around a hundred years later because of structural problems and the last church was demolished in the 1960’s as it was no longer used.” [3]

The last incarnation of Old St. George’s Church on Cocker Hill is shown in the adjacent coloured monochrome image which is held in the archives of Tameside MBC. The Micklehurst Loop can be seen exiting the tunnel below the church to the right and immediately crossing the River Tame on Knowl Street Viaduct. [4]

This monochrome image is provided with permission, courtesy of Alan Young, once again. He comments: “looking north up the River Tame the western end of Knowl Street Viaduct in Stalybridge is seen in this undated view. Having crossed this 16-arch viaduct the Micklehurst Loop promptly plunged into Stalybridge New Tunnel through Cocker Hill (left). This section of line ceased to handle traffic in 1972, when coal movements to Hartshead Power Station (near Staley & Millbrook) ceased, and the line was taken out of use in July 1976, but it was not until 1991 that the viaduct was demolished.” [7]

The Eastern Portal of the tunnel, which was directly below the church can still be reached with a little careful clambering. The image below © Tom Hindley, has a Creative Commons Licence. (CC BY-SA 2.0). [5]

Knowl Street Viaduct carried the Loop over the River Tame, Knowl Street and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and a series of arches in between. There were 16 arches in all.

This photograph taken from the East alongside Knowl Street Viaduct is included with permission, courtesy of Alan Young. Alan comments: “The Micklehurst Loop diverged from the original Huddersfield-Manchester line a short distance east of Stalybridge station, entered Stalybridge New Tunnel (about 300yd in length) then promptly crossed the broad valley of the River Tame on Bridge No.3 (also known as Knowl Street Viaduct). This impressive curving viaduct, in the blue engineering brick used by the LNWR on the Loop’s major structures, was 330yd in length with 16 arches. In addition to crossing the River Tame, the viaduct also strode across Huddersfield Narrow Canal and three roads. In this undated westward view, the viaduct and Stalybridge New Tunnel through Cocker Hill are shown. Coal trains that served Hartshead Power Station ceased to run over the viaduct in 1972, but it was not until July 1976 that the line was officially taken out of use. Fifteen years elapsed before the viaduct was demolished in 1991.” [7]

The image at the bottom of the last page is a further image used with permission, courtesy of Alan Young. Alan comments: “Looking north-east from a point close to the eastern portal of Stalybridge New Tunnel. The Knowl Street Viaduct, 330yd in length and with 16 arches, is seen crossing the River Tame then curving away towards the next station of Staley & Millbrook. The local passenger service on the Micklehurst Loop, on which this viaduct was located, ceased in 1917, but occasional passenger trains and many freight workings continued into the 1960s; coal traffic continued to pass over the viaduct until 1972 en route to Hartshead Power station near Staley & Millbrook station and the line was officially taken out of use in 1976. Nature is taking over the former trackbed as seen on this undated photograph. The viaduct was demolished in 1991.” [7]

A modern view of Knowl Street taken from Google Streetview. Knowl Street Viaduct crossed Knowl Street at this location. The spandrel walls on the North side of the Viaduct passed very close to the gable end of the terraced building to the East of Knowl Street, on the righthand side in this view.

After crossing the Huddersfield Narrow Canal the Loop line regained the embankment shown on the OS Map extract on the next page. Just to the North of the point where the viaduct crossed the canal is a stone bridge carrying what is now (in the 21st century) the canal-side walk. That bridge is shown at the centre of the Google Streetview image below and at the bottom left of the OS Map extract. It is named Knowl Street Bridge and carries the number 97. [8]

After crossing the Canal the line was carried on embankment, passing to the West of Brookfield House and running North by Northeast parallel to the Canal with Huddersfield Road a distance away to the South. Across the valley of the River Tame to the West were Riverside Mills.

The approximate line of the railway is shown in red on the satellite image on the next page and on the map extract below. It runs parallel to the canal. We parked in a small car park just off the south of this satellite image, as illustrated immediately below. The satellite image shows that the site of the Riverside Mills is now occupied by the premises of Smurfit Kappa, Stalybridge. [9]

Brookfield House was “a large detached house built in the early 19th century for James Wilkinson, and shown on the 1850 Stayley Tithe Map. All that remains is the former mid-19th century lodge house at 93, Huddersfield Road, with the entrance to the former drive with stone gate piers on its south side. The grounds of Brookfield House are clearly shown on the 1898 OS Map, and included an oval lake and glasshouses, …. Brookfield House was demolished and the lake filled in between 1910-1933. The grounds are now overgrown with self-set woodland.” [2]

Stalybridge and the Southwest end of the Micklehurst Loop (Google Maps).

The next OS Map extract (overleaf) illustrates, at the top right, how tightly the river, railway and canal follow each other at times up the Tame Valley. The railway sits above the canal which in turn sits a little above the river.

This map extract illustrates how closely, at times, river, rail and canal follow each other up the Tame Valley. Also evident is the name used on this series of OS Maps for the Loop Line – the “Stalybridge and Saddleworth Loop Line.”

Alan Young explains: “Although described as both the ‘Stalybridge & Saddleworth Loop‘ and ‘Stalybridge & Diggle Loop‘ on Ordnance Survey maps, the line is more commonly known as the ‘Micklehurst Loop’.” [7]

River Meadow Cotton Mills were owned by Henry Bannerman who was a successful farmer in Perthshire, Scotland At the age of 55 in 1808 he “moved with his family to Manchester, determined to get involved in the burgeoning Lancashire cotton industry.” [10]

At one time the company had “four cotton mills in the Manchester area: Brunswick Mill in Ancoats, Old Hall Mill in Dukinfield and the North End Mill and River Meadow Mill, both in Stalybridge.” [10]

In 1929, the Lancashire Cotton Industry was struggling. It had not regained its markets after the First World War. In an attempt to save the industry, the Bank of England set up the ‘Lancashire Cotton Coroporation’. Bannermans’ mills were taken over a few years later. The mills were acquired by Courtaulds in 1964 and all production ceased in 1967.” [10] After closure the four- storey mill which was Grade II Listed “was used by Futura before they moved to Quarry Street and then S. A. Driver warp knitters, dyers , printers and finishers.” [11] As can be seen in the satellite image on the following page, the Mill is now demolished.

Souracre and River Meadow Cotton Mill and Souracre in the 21st century.

North of Souracre and visible at the bottom left of the next OS Map extract (overleaf) were Hartshead Calico Print Works East of Printworks Road and close by Heyrod Hall. Also visible on this map extract are Stayley Hall and the first Station on the Micklehurst Loop – Stayley and Millbrook Station.

Hartshead Print Works – is visible just below centre-left on the OS Map extract above. The works was listed in the Stalybridge Directory of 1891 as owned by John L. Kennedy &Co. Ltd, Calico Printers. lt was purchased in 1899 by the Calico Printers Association. [18]

Heyrod Hall – is shown on the top left of the OS Map extract above.

Stayley Hall – is a Grade II* Listed Building which dates back to at least the early 15th century. [14] The first records of the de Stavelegh family as Lords of the Manor of Staley date from the early 13th century. Stayley Hall was their residence. [15] It came into the possession of the Assheton family through marriage and united the manors of Stayley and Ashton and thence into the family of Sir William Booth of Dunham Massey. In the middle of the 16th century. [15]

Staley Hall sits just to the South of the location of the Staley and Millbrook Passenger Station. [1]

The image at the bottom of the last page is an engraving of Staley Hall from 1795. {21] In the middle of the 18th Century the Earldom of Warrington became extinct and the Hall, along with all the Booth’s estates passed to Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford. Stayley Hall was owned by the Booth family until the death of Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford in 1976. [15]

Wikipedia concludes: “In 2004 the Metropolitan Borough Council announced that they had granted permission to a developer to build 16 homes next to Stayley Hall. A condition of the planning consent was that the hall be restored.[3] The developer has converted the hall and outbuildings into houses and apartments, most of which are now occupied.” [15]

Early 25″ OS Map covering the length of the passenger facilities and most of the goods facilities at Staley & Millbrook Station. [1]

Staley and Millbrook Station – Alan Young’s on his webpage about the Station comments as follows: “Staley & Millbrook station stood on a steep slope immediately south of Spring Grove Viaduct. The two facing platforms were equipped with waiting rooms, most likely of timber construction, with glazed awnings, as is thought to have been the building style at all four of the Loop’s stations. The platforms, too, were most likely of timber construction as that material was used for the platforms at Micklehurst, where they were also on an embankment, and timber would be a much lighter load than masonry for an embankment to support. The stationmaster’s house and adjoining single-storey office range to its west faced Grove Road across a small, triangular forecourt. The station house was constructed of dark red brick with string courses of blue engineering brick and pale stone lintels.” [18]

Staley & Millbrook Station building and the Spring-grove Viaduct taken from the East on Grove Road in the early 20th century. The picture shows a clean and relatively well-maintained site, very different to what remains in the 21st century, please see the pictures below. [18]

The adjacent map extract shows the relative positions of Staley and Millbrook Railway Station and Spring-grove Mill. [16]

Staley and Millbrook Station buildings have long-gone as has the Viaduct. The first arch of the viaduct spanned Grove Road and looked to be a graceful structure. Also of interest in the monochrome picture of the Station and Viaduct above is what appears at first sight to be evidence of a tramway or industrial railway in the cobbles of Grove Road. I have not as yet been able to find out anything about what this feature actually is. The feature is not marked on the map extract immediately above. Closer examination of the picture above suggests that rather than being part of a

14 short industrial line the cobbles may have been laid to facilitate a particular movement around the Spring-grove Mill.

In the 21st century, this length of Grove Road has been tarmacked – a thin layer of tarmac covers the original sets. The next two pictures were taken on 30th January 2021 on a second visit to the site after walking the route of the Loop.

Taken from East of the route of the Micklehurst Loop, this photograph shows the location of the old station building. It sat facing the road on the left-hand side of the panorama. The Southern abutment of the viaduct sat adjacent to the station building, in the area of trees between the 5- bar field gate and the stone wall towards the right of the picture. The masonry wall is in the location of what were terraced houses between the canal and the railway viaduct. (My photograph, 30th January 2021)

Another panorama, this time taken from the canal bridge to the West of the Loop. What is left of Spring-grove Mill can be seen on the left side of the image. Grove Road, heading towards Millbrook is central to the image. The masonry wall is the location of the terraced houses mentioned above. The first trees beyond it mark the line of the viaduct. The station building was sited beyond to the West. (My photograph, 30th January 2021)

Spring-grove Mill – As we have already noted, Spring-grove Mill is shown straddled by the viaduct on the OS Map extract above. When Staley & Millbrook station opened, “there was already some population and industry in the immediate neighbourhood. Spring Grove Cotton Mill faced the station across Grove Road, and map evidence suggests that the railway’s viaduct sliced through the existing mill building. A terrace of three cottages, also pre-dating the railway, stood immediately north of the platforms, and Stayley Hall was about 100yd south of the station. Millbrook village, with three cotton mills, was about ten minutes’ walk uphill east of the station.” [16] [18]

Spring Grove Mill was a cotton mill from 1818 to 1868 and then was a woollen mill for 100 years, it was the last steam-powered mill in the area. [17] The remaining buildings of Spring- grove Mill are shown in the photograph over leaf. The lighter (cream painted) brickwork is the part of the mill shown on the map extracts as being on the East side of the viaduct. The portion of the Mill to the West of the viaduct has been demolished. The red-brick portion of the remaining building would have been under the arches of the viaduct.

The remaining buildings of Spring-grove Mill. The Western spandrels of the viaduct arches would have followed a line running from the intersecting kerb-stones in the right-foreground over the redbrick part of the present building. (My own photograph – 30th January 2021)

The image of Hartshead Power station above, includes Spring-grove Mill in the bottom righthand corner. By the time the aerial photograph was taken, Grove Road appeared to extend across the Canal and the River Tame towards Heyrod.

Hartshead Power Station was also located North of Souracre to the West of the River Tame. It was a coal-fired station and was served by trains on the Micklehurst Loop up until the 1970s. The picture on the last page was posted by Tameside Council on their Facebook page in 2015. It is an aerial picture of Hartshead Power Station taken before the Second World War. The Power Station was opened by the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield (SHMD) Joint Board in 1926 and the cooling towers were erected in the 1940s. The station closed in 1970 and was demolished in the 1980s. Although the Good Shed visible to the top right of the image still stands. The Micklehurst Loop curves from the bottom right to the top left of the picture. [13]

This enlarged extract from the aerial image above shows the coal transfer facilities and railway sidings associated with the power station . [13] The resolution of the image is not wonderful but it does highlight the traffic which was brought to the site throughout the middle 50 years of the 20th Century.

The full extent of the Hartshead Power Station site at Souracre can be seen on the adjacent OS Map extract from the middle of the 20th century, sourced from the National Library of Scotland. The map extract also shows the location of Stayley Hall and the Stayley and Millbrook Station build just North-northwest of Stayley Hall. One of the two cooling towers at the power station is not shown in full as it crosses the map join. [14]

Approximately the same area is shown on the next page on a relatively recent extract from the ESRI World Image website which is the satellite mapping used by the National Library of Scotland. [13]

ESRI Satellite Image extract showing the current status of the Hartshead Power Station site with the approximate route of the Micklehurst Loop Line shown in red. The Goods Shed is still standing and can be seen just to the right of the red line. Along with the Loop line all of the lines in the sidings have been lifted. [13]

The Goods Shed at Stayley and Millbrook Station presided over a large expanse of sidings which served Hartshead Power Station on the opposite side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the River Tame. It is considered further below It is visible on both the map extract and the satellite image and the extent of the railway sidings on the East side of the Loop line is evident on the map extract above.

The substantial Goods Shed was built at the same time as the Loop, initially with two sidings to its East. These sidings were expanded with the advent of the power station in the early 20th century. The site is now overgrown and is returning to nature. The only exception being the

Goods Shed itself. There is an excellent video showing its current condition on ‘Martin Zero’s’ YouTube Channel. [22] My own pictures of the site also follow below.

A view from the East looking across the power station site with the Goods Shed and coal transshipment facilities in the foreground. the lack of trees compared with the satellite image and all other pictures of the site in the 21st century is striking, © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. [23]

Looking South towards the location of the passenger facilities at Staley and Millbrook Station. The Goods shed is on the left (the East side of the Loop line). (My photograph, 18th January 2021).

The Goods Shed taken from the same location as the last photograph – a substantial three- storey structure. (My photograph, 18th January 2021).

The next part of this walk following the line of the Micklehurst Loop sets off from this goods shed traveling North and is included in “The Micklehurst Loop – Part 2”

After completing this online article, conversations with acquaintances online resulted in some significant additions which follow here.

Addendum No. 1

Just after I posted my first article about the Micklehurst Loop, I was sent a series of photographs by an online acquaintance, Tony Jervis. In February 1981, he visited the same length of the Micklehurst Loop as covered in the article. Tony's pictures show the line before removal of the two viaducts but after the lifting of the length of line retained to serve the Staley and Millbrook Sidings opposite Hartshead Power Station.

Tony also pointed out a further YouTube video from Martin Zero.

At the time of Tony Jervis' visit on 14th February 1981, only one section of the Spring-grove Viaduct had been removed - a simply supported span which took the line over the Spring-grove Mill. Toney was very happy for me to share these pictures as an addendum to my original article and he very kindly provided some notes to go with a number of the photographs. I have provided some annotated OS Maps to go with the pictures.

I have retained the reference numbers of the photographs used by Tony Jervis. I find the images fascinating. The first three photographs speak for themselves and are centred on Knowl Street Viaduct at the bottom end of the loop immediately adjacent to Stalybridge New Tunnel.

The 25" OS Map showing the area to the East of Cocker Hill where the Micklehurst Loop broke out of Stalybridge New Tunnel and immediately spanned the River Tame. The locations of three of Tony's photographs marked. [1]

Photograph 15, 1981, (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

Photograph 632-16, shows the length of the viaduct and is taken from above the Eastern Portal of Stalybridge New Tunnel, 1981, (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

Photograph 632-17,shows the skew span over the Huddersfield Narrow Canal looking towards the Centre of Stalybridge, 1981, (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

The next few pictures were taken in and around the Staley and Millbrook Station. The software I use allows me to add arrows which are vertical or horizontal but not at an angle, so the locations of the pictures shown on the OS Map immediately below are approximate.

25" OS Map of Staley & Millbrook Station site at the turn of the 20th century. [1]

Photograph 632-18 shows Spring-Grove Mill was spanned by a simply-supported girder bridge which had already been removed when Tony Jervis visited in 1981, (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

Tony comments about the above image, that the picture shows "the gap in the viaduct over the roof of Spring Grove Mill. I assume the gap was spanned by a horizontal girder bridge, which would have been easier to lift away for scrap than demolish a viaduct arch. In the background, the power station's coal conveyor and bunkers are still intact, though the station had been closed about 18 months earlier. The goods shed ... was still in the hands of Firth Hauliers." [24]

The Goods shed and part of the conveyor are still in place. The viaduct, the mill chimney, the section of the mill visible to the extreme left of the image, the coal handling facilites are long- gone in the 21st century.

Photograph 632-19A, 1981, the portion of the mill on this (West) side of the viaduct and the mill chimney, still present in 1981, were demolished along with the viaduct in the later part of the 20th century (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

Tony Jervis, writing in 1981, comments: "the station platforms were up to the right at the top of the grassy bank but would not have been accessible for passengers from this side. Beyond the third arch was a span across the top of Spring-Grove Mill, which was presumably modified to allow the railway to be built. I assume the span was some sort of flat girder bridge which has since been craned away." [24]

The adjacent photo is Photograph 632-20A, 1981, (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

He continues: "Passengers for the northbound platform would have climbed a covered passage from the booking office and come through this subway (picture 632-20A) whence another short, covered ramp or steps would

24 have led up to the platform waiting room. Note the glazed white tiles designed to slightly lighten the subway's gloom. Since I appear not to have photographed them, I assume that the station platforms had long been swept away. [24]

Photograph 632-21A, 1981, (c) Tony Jervis. [24]

Tony Jervis says: Picture 632-21A was “taken from the middle of Grove Road east of the viaduct. The red brick wall would have been the end of the booking office; the station master's house would have been out of shot to the left. In the distance is the entrance to the subway. There are marks of the platform retaining wall, which is partly of red brick at the bottom and blue engineering brick further up, that suggest a flight of stairs with an intermediate landing led up the southbound platform and that a lower ramp alongside followed the grass bank up to the subway. One might wonder, thinking of travel a century ago, whether there might have been a need for sack trucks or even a four-wheeled luggage trolley to reach the platforms. The white notice forbidding tipping and trespassing is not in the middle of the road but at the edge of the triangular station forecourt; it won't show up on the posted picture but above the words is the BR "kinky arrow" symbol. Looking at the 25-inch OS plan, it is interesting to note that the formal entrance to nearby Staley Hall was from Millbrook village to the south but from the back of the building a footpath dropped down to Grove Road alongside the stationmaster's house, a tradesmen and servants' entrance maybe?" [24]

Tony has also provided photographs which were taken late in the evening on 14th 1981 of the Goods Yard across the river and canal from Hartshead Power Station. Their locations are again marked on the 25" OS Map immediately below ......

25" OS Map of the Staley & Millbrook Coal Sidings site. The extract does not show the full extent of the sidings which were in place in the mid-20th century. [1]

Photograph No. 632-21B 9-644 14 Feb 1981 SD 976000 S Former coal drops at Staley & Millbrook Goods Depot alongside Spring Grove Viaduct. The ruined structure on the horizon is Staley Hall. These drops were just to the North of Spring-Grove Viaduct, (c) Tony Jervis, 1981. [24]

Tony Jervis comments: "These coal drops are near the end of the two sidings on the 25-inch OS map closest to the running lines. They are not marked on the map but the road approach for coal merchants' lorries is clearly shown. I did wonder if the apparent tramway in Grove Road in one of [the photographs in the previous article] was a way of transferring coal from here round to the mill's boiler house (below the chimney, one presumes) but I have seen no indication of it on any map. The viaduct over Spring Grove Mill starts by the rusty car. The building on the hill is Staley Hall and the "tradesmen's" footpath I mentioned in a previous description can be seen descending the bank." [24]

Photograph No. 632- 22 9-646 14 Feb 1981 SD 976001 N Staley & Millbrook Goods Warehouse and the former Hartshead Power Station coal conveyor, (c) Tony Jervis, 1981. [24]

Tony comments: This picture shows "the goods shed when in use by Firth

Transport. The cleaner ballast in the foreground was the southbound running line and the smoother patch to left of that is presumably where the walkway is today. In the background is the part of the coal conveyor that remains in situ today." [24]

Photograph No. 632-23 9-645 14 Feb 1981 SD 977002NW Hartshead Power Station Sidings and start of coal conveyor, Staley & Millbrook Goods Depot, (c) Tony Jervis, 1981. [24]

Tony comments: "One of the two towers on the edge of the power station coal sidings. I presume the "stepped" areas fenced in orange surrounded conveyor belts lifting the coal from siding level up to the high- level conveyor." [24]

Photograph No. 632-24 9-647 14 Feb 1981 SD977002WNW below. The Site of Hartshead Power Station Sidings and coal conveyor, Staley & Millbrook Goods Depot, (c) Tony Jervis, 1981. [42]

Tony comments: "Swinging left about 45 degrees from the previous photo, I'm not sure what purpose this building served. There is a capstan in front of it, suggesting that locomotives were not allowed to traverse the length of surviving track

27 and wagons thereon were moved by cable. Could it have been an oil depot of some sort? The tall pipes at the far end could have been used to empty rail tank cars. Some power stations could burn oil as well as coal; was Hartshead one of them?" [24]

Photograph No. 632-25A 9-648 14 Feb 1981 SD 978002 WSW Staley & Millbrook Goods Warehouse; Hartshead Power Station beyond, (c) Tony Jervis, 1981. [24]

Tony comments: that it was really too dark by the time this picture was taken, none-the-less by screwing the contrast control to its maximum a grainy image of the shed and power station appears reasonably clear but very grainy. [24]

Flicking back and forth between this short addendum and the latter part of the main article about the Micklehurst Loop, allows a comparison with images of the Staley and Millbrook Station and Goods Depot Sites early in their life and in the 21st century.

To complete this short addendum a video from Martin Zero can be found at https://youtu.be/IL6yY5UFTPI. [25] Tony Jervis comments:

"After watching the half-hour video, I read some of the comments by other viewers, some of whom had worked on the site. The tunnel turned out to be the power station's engine shed and the steps led down to a conical underground coal hopper from which conveyor belts took the coal onwards or, perhaps, removed fly-ash."

"Martin also found on the surface a length of surviving rail track with a lump of iron between the rails that might have been a "mule" or "beetle" for moving wagons slowly past an unloading point. It was mentioned by some people that there had also been an "oil conveyor" — surely a pipeline? — leading from the sidings onwards the power station. That makes me wonder if my

28 postulation that the low building in my "S & M Goods 4" posting (slide 632-24) may have been a tank wagon unloading station was in fact correct."

"Martin did also show a circular object buried in the ground nearby which could perhaps have been the base of the capstan that appears in my photo. But the area is nowadays so afforested that it was impossible to work out accurately how the various items and buildings he found related to one another." [26]

Addendum No. 2

Just a few days after I completed addendum 1A about the first length of The Micklehurst Loop and particularly about Staley and Millbrook Station and Goods Yard, I heard from James Ward who recollected some photographs taken by his father of the demolition of the Spring Grove Viaduct. On 11th February 2021, he sent me copies of those photographs along with permission to share them. In his emails, James Ward also provided links to some photographs on the 'Timepix' website. These, at present, are predominantly photographs of the Greater Manchester Revision Point Collection undertaken by/on-behalf-of the Ordnance Survey in the early 1950s and are held by Manchester Libraries. The introduction to the 'Timepix' website makes it clear that all of their watermarked images are free to download and share. [3]

Some of these pictures show locations close to the Staley and Millbrook Station and Goods yard. These are shared here beneath those taken by Stephen Ward, James' father.

The Demolition of Spring Grove Viaduct. The pictures below are taken from Grove Road/Spring Bank Lane in 1991 by Stephen Ward. I have maintained the numbering of the photographs as they were given in the email attachments from James Ward. It was only possible to take pictures of the work from public land and the highway. No trespass over the demolition site was possible. There are signs in these pictures of the growth of vegetation around the line of the Micklehurst Loop, growth, which in the 2020s has swamped the remains of the railway. A Key to photographs taken by Stephen Ward in 1991 is shown below, imposed on the 25" OS Map from the turn of the 20th century. [1]

Photograph GRV1; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from the East along Grove Road (c) Stephen Ward [27]

Photograph GRV2; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from the West from close to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The larger road span is visible and the first two arched spans of the viaduct to the North, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Photograph GRV3; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from the Northwest from the Old Spring Mill access road between the railway and the Canal, (c) Stephen Ward . [27]

Photograph GRV4; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from the East on Grove Road. Had the old station building still been standing it would have just been visible on the left of the image, right next to the abutment wall, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Photograph GRV5; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from above the location of the old Station House on the East side of the viaduct abutment in the foreground. Part of the Spring Grove Mill is visible on the right of the picture. The Goods Shed and the remains of the coal conveyor can be seen on the horizon. The top of the arch which provided pedestrian access to the platform closer to the Canal can be seen in the left foreground, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Photograph GRV7; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken in the early evening from the East on Grove Road. One streetlight has just come on. The over-road skew-arch bridge is now gone and the view West down Grove Road to the hills behind is no longer interrupted by the railway structure, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Photograph GRV8; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from the West, close to the Canal. Both the road-span and the adjacent arch have been demolished and much of the brickwork has been cleared, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Photograph GRV9; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from Grove Road. Had the old station building still been standing, it would have filled the image. We are looking Southwest across the location of the building at the remaining length of surviving viaduct abutment in the gloom of early evening. The pedestrian access to the West side of the line can be seen above the chestnut-paling fencing, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Photograph GRV10; Spring Grove Viaduct Demolition in 1991, this photograph is taken from the East on Grove Road, also late in the evening. The white painted wall is the end of the surviving buildings of the old Spring Grove Mill, (c) Stephen Ward. [27]

Key to the Manchester Libraries Ordnance Survey Photographs below. [1]

The Ordnance Survey Greater Manchester Revision Point Collection from the early 1950s.

The following pictures were taken to record Ordnance Survey work and have the incidental benefit of being within the landscape we are interested in.

The first picture can be precisely located as being at the North end of Spring Grove Viaduct above the buildings of Spring Grove Mill which can be seen in the photograph.

Photograph ML2: North end of Spring Grove Viaduct showing the East face of the structure which flew over the Spring Grove Mill, buildings of which can be seen in the image. Map Square SJ9799, © Manchester Libraries. [28]

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was a hundred metres or so to the East of the viaduct and the next two pictures show locations either side of the point where Grove Road/Spring Bank Lane crossed the Canal.

Photograph ML3: Electricity sub-station, east side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and North of Grove Road. The coal conveyor for the Hartshead Power Station is also visible. The railway, the station and the Mill are about a hundred metres off to the right of the picture. Map Square SJ9799, © Manchester Libraries. [28]

Photograph ML4: Opposite Electricity sub-station, east side of Huddersfield Narrow Canal, South side of Grove Road. This view looks back towards Stalybridge. The railway, the station and the Mill are about a hundred metres off to the left of the picture. Map Square SJ9799, © Manchester Libraries. [28]

Photograph ML5: Man marking Ordnance Survey minor control revision point on the corner of the Good Shed at Staley and Millbrook Yard. Staley Hall can be seen on the horizon, (c) Manchester Libraries. [28]

Photograph ML6: Man marking Ordnance Survey minor control revision point on the coal handling facilities in Staley and Millbrook Goods Yard. The conveyor which transported coal across the Micklehurst Loop, The Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the River Tame can be seen in the background, (c) Manchester Libraries. [28]

Addendum No. 3

Just a few days after I completed addendum 1B about the first length of The Micklehurst Loop and particularly about Staley and Millbrook Station and Goods Yard, I came across some photographs of the locomotives used at the Staley & Millbrook sidings on behalf of Hartshead power station. I found them on a Facebook post but can also be found free to share on the site set up by the Friends of Davenport Station on behalf of J.W. Sutherland's widow (http://sutherland.davenportstation.org.uk). [30]

I was also sent two pictures by Keith Norgrove which came from a cycle ride along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal Towpath in 1963, one of which is relevant to this length of the Loop. [29]

James Ward has sent me three monochrome pictures which can be found at the end of this addendum.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal Photograph of Hartshead Power Station

Keith Norgrove cycled the towpath of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in 1963 and took this photograph:

This photo is taken from the Canal towpath at a point some distance closer to Stalybridge. The coal conveyor can be seen crossing the valley from the location of the Staley & Millbrook Goods Yard. The roof of the Goods Shed is visible close to the coal conveyor. The north-light roof of Spring Grove Mill can also be picked out on the right, (c) Keith Norgrove 1963. [29]

Hartshead Power Station Locomotives

The series of three pictures below appeared on the Facebook Group 'The History of Stalybridge' in May 2020. [30]

The post on the Facebook Group included the following words credited to Geoff Ward:

"Preparations for a power station at Heyrod began in 1916 when 26 acres (110,000 m2) of land were purchased. The station was opened in 1926 by the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport and Electricity Board. The station began operation with three Metropolitan- Vickers 12,500 kW turbo-alternators generating at the local SHMD supply frequency of 40 Hz. Later that year the station's output was changed to the nationally agreed standard of 50 Hz. In 1935, a major expansion of Hartshead began with the first of three new Metropolitan-Vickers 30,000 kW generating sets being commissioned, followed by the second set in 1943 and the third set in 1950. The station's concrete cooling towers were constructed in the 1940s.

Coal was delivered to the plant at Millbrook railway sidings on the Micklehurst Line, situated on the opposite side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The sidings were built in 1932 and had space to hold up to 130 12-ton wagons. Coal was fed into a hopper underneath the sidings before being transported on an enclosed conveyor belt which emerged high above the valley to cross the River Tame and canal before entering the station at a high level. The station was closed on 29 October 1979 with a generating capacity of 64 megawatts. It was demolished during the late 1980s, although part of the site is still used as an electrical substation." [30]

Hartshead appears to have owned two locomotives for shunting the yard accessed via the Micklehurst Loop, both are visible in this photograph of the Staley and Millbrook Goods Yard, (c) J.W. Sutherland. [30]

Looking North from the Staley and Millbrook Yard. Coal trains entered the Yard full from the South along what was once the Micklehurst Loop and empties were returned to the South. (c) J.W. Sutherland. [30]

The Hawthorn Leslie fireless 0-6-0 (HL3805/1932) was fed with steam from the power station and was much cheaper to run that the saddle tank, (c) J.W. Sutherland. [30]

The Transport Library has 2 monochrome pictures of each of the locomotives in the images above for sale in a digital format. The pictures cannot be shown here. They were taken by Horace Gamble. [32]

0-4-0ST Locomotive: BEA 2

The Saddle Tank shown in two of the photographs above was built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn. Its Works No. was 7661 and was numbered BEA (British Electricity Authority) No 2 in service in the yard opposite Hartshead Power Station. It was an 0-4-0ST Locomotive. It shared its duties with a large fireless locomotive which can also be seen in the photographs above.

"Because the fireless was cheap to run (there was a good supply of steam from the power station boiler), it was preferred as the working engine, and so No. 2 was used as the standby, and also whenever the power station boiler was shut down, as there would be no supply of steam for the fireless." [31]

"The sidings were built in 1932 and had space to hold up to 130 12-ton wagons. Coal was fed into a hopper underneath the sidings before being transported on an enclosed conveyor belt which emerged high above the valley to cross the River Tame and canal before entering the station at a high level." [31]

When the Micklehurst line was closed to traffic in October 1966 the short section of line between the Millbrook sidings and Stalybridge remained in use until the power station closed in 1979. At this time the locomotive was transported to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway where it sits awaiting restoration.

The 0-4-0ST being loaded onto a low-loader transport for the trip to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway in the late 1970s, included by kind permission of the photographer, © Gerv Wright. [31]

The same locomotive awaiting restoration in 2010, included by kind permission of the photographer, (c) Mick Cottam. [31]

Hartshead's Fireless Locomotive

This locomotive can be seen in the photographs of J.W. Sutherland above. It was a Hawthorn Leslie fireless 0-6-0 (HL3805/1932). The photo of this loco for sale on the Transport Library site was taken in 1967. [5] A picture is also included in 'Industrial Locomotives & Railways of the North West of England' by Gordon Edgar. [33]

"A fireless locomotive ...... uses a reciprocating engine powered from a reservoir of compressed air or steam, which is filled at intervals from an external source. They offer advantages over conventional steam locomotives of lower cost per unit, cleanliness, and decreased risk from fire or boiler explosion; these are counterbalanced by the need for a source to refill the locomotive, and by the limited range afforded by the reservoir." [33]

They were most often used, for industrial rail yards where either:

• a conventional locomotive was too noxious or risky, such as in a mine or a food or chemical factory; or • where the source of air or steam was readily available, as here at Hartshead Power Station,

"A fireless steam locomotive is similar to a conventional steam locomotive, but has a reservoir, known as a steam accumulator, instead of a boiler. This reservoir is charged with superheated

41 water under pressure from a stationary boiler. The engine works like a conventional steam engine using the high pressure steam above the water in the accumulator. As the steam is used and pressure drops, the superheated water boils, replacing the used steam. The locomotive can work like this until the pressure has dropped to a minimum useful level or the water runs out, after which it must be recharged." [33]

A Further 3 Photographs from James Ward

James Ward has shared three photographs with me of which he says: " I don't know how you would feel about including them on your website uncredited, as unfortunately, obtaining proper permission could prove impossible. My Dad thought they came from the colleague of a family friend, but when I contacted our family friend, he was struggling to recall this. If there are any further developments, I'll let you know." [34]

James Ward also comments that here is still a very small remnant of the unusual solid sleeper fence (shown in MLL2 and MLL3) in situ.

These photographs are shared here on the basis that James mentions. Neither he nor I can credit the photographer. Should anyone know better, please contact me and they will be properly credited or removed if the copyright holder wishes.

They appear to show a sequence of pictures of the same train leaving Stalybridge along the Micklehurst Loop probably heading for the Staley and Millbrook Sidings for Hartshead Power Station, and then returning with the engine operating tender first, This probably means that the correct chronological sequence of the pictures would be MLL1, MLL3, MLL2

In one of the pictures the octagonal form of Old St. George's can be made out on the horizon. I do not have a date for these images. But the smog appears thick over Stalybridge!

Photograph MLL1: provided courtesy of James Ward. James comments: This picture is taken "looking WSW towards the centre of Stalybridge. The Loco is an 8F according to my Dad. The platelayers hut to the south of the line is marked on the 25″ OS Maps. Just beyond this, the parapet of the Knowl St viaduct is visible. St George's Church is just about discernible above what I assume are full coal wagons, on their way to the power station." [34]

Photograph MLL2 provided courtesy of James Ward. James comments: "Looking SW towards the centre of Stalybridge. Coal wagons having been emptied at the power station(?). There is a clearer view of the Stalybridge skyline, including St George's Church. The railway boundary is marked by an unusual solid fence made from railway sleepers, a few sleepers-worth of which is still in situ.” [34]

Photograph MLL3 provided courtesy of James Ward. James comments: this picture is taken "looking NE towards Millbrook. This might well be the same train as in MLL2, and taken just before. The signal post to the SE of the line is marked on the 25″ OS Maps as 'S.Ps'. The picture gives a close up view of the top of the sleeper fence. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal to the left of the railway with Hartshead Power Station cooling towers just visible as shadows on the far left of the picture."[34]

Addendum No. 4

Since publishing a first article about the Micklehurst Loop. I have had a trickle feed of comments, particularly about the Staley and Millbrook Goods Yard. This further addendum to the first article seeks to bring those items together in one place.

The adjacent satellite image extracted from Google Maps satellite images shows the Goods Yard and notes some of the key features still on the site in the 21st century. For more comments, please see the notes which follow.

I visited the site again on 5th March 2021 and wandered around among the trees for over an hour.

There is an excellent survey of the Staley and Millbrook Goods Yard and the Hartshead Power Station on the website www.28dayslater.co.uk. A number of superb photographs have been collated there. [20]

Further Images of BEA No. 2 0-4-0ST 'BEANO'

Gerv Wright has kindly sent me two further images of BEA No. 2 0-4-0ST at the end of its working life in 1977 being prepared for and being transported off site. 'Beano' was its nickname!

BEA No 2, Jan 1977 (c) Gerv Wright. [35]

BEA No 2, Hartshead, Jan 1977 (c) Gerv Wright. Of additional interest in this picture is the backdrop. The view is taken from the Micklehurst end of the site In front of the good shed is the coal conveyor still apparently at its full extent. Also visible, to the left of the picture, is one of the lighting towers which feature later in this post. [35]

Yard Lights - Concrete Lighting Columns

An on-line acquaintance, Ben Hampson, sent me an image of the Goods Yard via a Facebook group, 'The History of Mossley (Tameside)'. [4] That image is an excellent view across the site of the Goods Yard when it was still in use and shows three concrete lighting towers as well as the fireless loco in operation. At the back of the scene, the coal handling facilities, the conveyor and the goods shed can be seen peeking out of the gloom. Ben sourced that image via Gary Taylor on 'The Real Mossley' Facebook group. [38]

The Staley and Millbrook Goods Yard in operational days. Of interest are the lighting columns and the fireless locomotive, the goods shed, the coal handling facilities and the coal-conveyor, copyright unknown, sourced via Ben Hampson and Gary Taylor from 'The Real Mossley' Facebook Group. [39]

A visit to site on 6th March allowed me to see the three towers shown on the above image. These next three photographs were taken on 6th March. They show the towers and give an excellent idea of the appearance of the Yard in 2021!

The adjacent picture shows tower No. 1 as identified on the satellite image at the start of this post. The small body of water can be made out immediately beyond the tower. (My photograph - 6th March 2021).

Tower No. 2 on the satellite image above. This photograph is taken from the top of the bank to the South east of the old yard and looks down on the Yard. (My photograph - 6th March 2021).

This photograph shows Tower No. 3 which is close to the remains of the engine shed. The photograph is again taken from the bank above the Yard, (My photograph - 6th March 2021).

The Engine Shed

Ben also asked why I had not included anything in previous posts about the Engine Shed which accommodated the two shunters which worked the site. My only excuse is that I walked past it without working out what it was. So, on 6th March a took a bit of time to pick it out and take photographs. Reddit.com carries a monochrome photograph of the fireless loco exiting the engine shed, which appears to have been sourced from the Transport Library. I have not included it here as I am not certain of the copyright position on this image, This link will take you directly to that image: [36][37] https://www.reddit.com/r/trains/comments/ieer3s/steam_locomotive_coming_out_of_an_engine _shed_at

Hartshead Power Station owned two locomotives for shunting the yard accessed via the Micklehurst Loop, both are mentioned in the text above. The 0-4-0ST stands on one of the lanes giving access to the engine shed which is off this image to the left, (c) J. Sutherland. [30]

The next few images are pictures taken on 6th March 2021 which show the engine shed as it is in the 21st century.

The first panorama, on the last page, shows the site of the engine shed from the bank above the old Goods Yard close to the lighting tower (no. 3 above), (My photograph - 6th March 2021.)

This second panorama shows the site of the engine shed from track-bed level, (My photograph - 6th March 2021).

A closer shot of the Engine Shed from track-bed level. The churned ground in the foreground is typical of much of the Goods Yard site, which appears to have been used recently as an off-road vehicle playground, (My photograph - 6th March 2021).

Demolition of the Chimneys and Cooling Towers at the Power Station.

A short section of the video accessed vis the link below (from 15 minutes to 17 minutes into the video) shows the demolition of the Cooling Towers and Chimneys of Hartshead Power Station. [40] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PXDtZgymfa8

References

1. https://maps.nls.uk, accessed on 18th January 2021. 2. Copley Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals; Tameside MBC, March 2013, p9-10. 3. https://cockerhill.com/2010/07/06/old-st-georges-church-cocker-hill, accessed on 23rd January 2021. 4. https://public.tameside.gov.uk/imagearchive/Default.asp & https://cockerhill.com/2010/0 7/06/old-st-georges-church-cocker-hill, accessed on 23rd January 2021. 5. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3119673, accessed on 22nd January 2021. 6. http://nwex.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6918, accessed on 27th January 2021. 7. http://disused-stations.org.uk/features/micklehurst_loop/index.shtml, accessed on 25th January 2021. 8. https://canalplan.org.uk/waterway/cjdf & https://canalplan.org.uk/place/1hv4, accessed on 27th January 2021. 9. https://www.smurfitkappa.com/uk/locations/united-kingdom/smurfit-kappa-stalybridge, accessed on 28th January 2021. 10. http://cosgb.blogspot.com/2010/12/henry-bannerman-sons-limited.html, accessed on 28th January 2021. 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mills_in_Tameside#Mills_in_Stalybridge, accessed on 28th January 2021. 12. http://www.table38.steamrailways.com/rail/Micklehurst/micklehurst.htm, accessed on 24th January 2021. 13. https://scontent.fman2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0- 9/10923473_10152970711638376_5311634515634523408_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc _sid=9267fe&_nc_ohc=TvOmLmn5KTcAX_Ayq7O&_nc_ht=scontent.fman2- 1.fna&oh=2306db45618ba15e6bc27d582f00e643&oe=6037BA9F, accessed on 29th January 2021. 14. Mike Nevell; Tameside 1066–1700; Tameside Metropolitan Borough and University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. p. 112 & 141, 1991. 15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stayley_Hall, accessed on 29th January 2021. 16. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=784689891661955&id=121283594669258, accessed on 29th January 2021. 17. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.tameside.gov.uk/ countryside/walksandtrails/lowerbrushes.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjXrum3xMHuAhVMTBUIHY mQAeQ4ChAWMAJ6BAgSEAI&usg=AOvVaw2DR5SZ9N3AM7__DD-ZN0Bv, accessed on 29th January 2021. 18. https://gracesguide.co.uk/John_L._Kennedy_and_Co, accessed on 29th January 2021. 19. https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/stalybridge-new-tunnel-stalybridge-july- 2012.72653, accessed on 26th January 2021. 20. https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/hartshead-power-station-heyrod-and-millbrook- 2015-2019.119500, accessed on 29th January 2021. 21. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1795-Antique-Print-Stayley-Hall-Stalybridge-Greater- Manchester-after-E-Dayes-/292642997239, accessed on 29th January 2021. 22. https://youtu.be/VdmWydx4VBw & https://www.facebook.com/martinZer0/?comment_id =Y29tbWVudDoxNTU4MjI2MDIxMDExNzUxXzE1NjA0NDMwMjQxMjMzODQ%3D, accessed on 31st January 2021. 23. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2204271, accessed on 31st January 2021. 24. Photographs taken by an acquaintance on the "[email protected]" group, online, Tony Jervis. They are reproduced here with his kind permission. 25. https://youtu.be/IL6yY5UFTPI, accessed on 6th February 2021.

26. From an email dated 6th February 2021. 27. Photographs taken by Stephen Ward. They are supplied by his son James Ward and reproduced here with their kind permission. 28. https://www.timepix.uk/PAGES/Top-Line-navigation-pages/n-5PX4Wc/About, accessed on 11th February 2021. 29. Keith Norgrove is a contributor to the RMWeb Forum under the pseudonym 'Grovenor'. Keith's two pictures (one of which is included here) were a response to my articles about the Micklehurst Loop on that Forum: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/161854-the-micklehurst-loop, accessed on 15th February 2021. 30. https://m.facebook.com/groups/405881989841095/permalink/917279782034644, accessed on 16th February 2021. (A check on the copyright of these images on the J.W. Sutherland Collection Site (http://sutherland.davenportstation.org.uk) has been undertaken - they are free to use provided the photographer is credited). 31. https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/robert-stephenson-hawthorn-works-no- 7661-bea-no-2-0-4-0st, accessed on 16th February 2021. 32. https://thetransportlibrary.co.uk/?route=product/search&search=Hartshead+Power+Stat ion%2C+Stalybridge&category_id=64&page=1, accessed on 16th February 2021. 33. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireless_locomotive, accessed on 16th February 2021. 34. Email from James Ward on 16th February 2021 35. These images were sent by email on 25th February 2021 and are included by kind permission of Gerv Wright. 36. https://www.reddit.com/r/trains/comments/ieer3s/steam_locomotive_coming_out_of_an _engine_shed_at, accessed on 7th March 2021. 37. For further information on copyright issues, please see: https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/12/16/copyright. 38. https://www.facebook.com/groups/296935657118919, accessed on 7th March 2021. 39. https://www.facebook.com/groups/296935657118919/permalink/2508654999280296, accessed on 7th March 2021. 40. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PXDtZgymfa8, accessed on 16th March 2021.